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Alarm Management

Standards and Best


Practices
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Jason P. Wright
Product Marketing Manager
PlantPAx System Core

Rockwell Automation
Process Solutions User Group (PSUG)
November 14-15, 2011
Chicago, IL McCormick Place West
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alarm Management Introduction


An alarm management system is crucial to safe and productive
operations:

Reduced unplanned downtime


Increased safety
Improved operator effectiveness
Better process performance/yields

The goal of this session is to discuss these Alarm Management


standards and learn about design and implementation best
practices to ensure an effective alarm management system

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Good Old Days

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Misapplication of Modern Technology

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Emergence of Industry Standards


2007

2009

2003
1999
1994
Abnormal situation
Management (ASM)
Consortium formed

EEMUA 191
1st Edition

Ineffective Alarm
Management
Excessive number of
alarms
Alarm meaning to
operator ambiguous
Alarms and
notifications often
disabled

Emergence of Standards
and Regulations
ISA S18.02
49 CFR 195.446

EEMUA 191
ASM Alarm Management 2nd Edition
Guidelines 1st Edition
NAMUR 102 on Alarm
Management
Establishment of Good
Understanding the
Costs of Poor Alarming
Management
Major accidents and
losses
Lost production (up
to 3-5%)

Engineering Practice
Insurance industry
and HSE concerns
adopting ISA S18.02
as a basis for
examining overall
process safety and
sustainability

Operator burnout

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Desired State of Alarm Management


All alarms require an operator response or there is a consequence
Do information-only alarms add value or help develop bad habits?

An engineering process must be followed to ensure alarms are


defined, prioritized, and presented properly
Alarms must be presented at a rate that the operator can respond
How long does it take for an operator to take action on an alarm?

It must be clear when the alarm system is not performing as


intended
What alarms have been suppressed and why?

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alarm Management Lifecycle


Identify, Rationalize, and Design

Audit and Management of Change

Philosophy

What should alarm? When?


To whom should it alarm? How are they notified?
How is the operator to respond?
How should the alarm be configured?

Implement

Operate and Maintain


Potential Cause:
Chemical Leak
Scrubber/Filter
Breakthrough
Failed Instrument

Verify:
Area
Scrubber Operation
Manual readings

Response:
Isolate Chemical
Source
Initiate repair of
scrubber/instrument

Potential
Consequence:
Personnel Safety
Environmental
Violation

Monitor and Assess

Alarm system configuration as intended


All alarms in-service or have action plans for repair
Most frequent alarms/systemic issues addressed
Rate of alarms appropriate for operator
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alarm Management Lifecycle


A

Philosophy

Identification

Rationalization

Detailed Design
Management
of Change

Implementation

Audit
F

Operation

Monitoring &
Assessment
G

Maintenance

Source: International Society of Automation. (2009). ANSI/ISA-18.2-2009 - Management of Alarm Systems for the Process Industries.
Research Triangle Park: ISA

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alarm Management Standards and Best Practices

ALARM PHILOSOPHY

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alarm Philosophy Document


What is an alarm?
Roles and requirements
Rationalization requirements
Alarm class definitions, design,
requirements
Alarm priorities, definitions, etc.
Alarm shelving / suppression rules
Alarm system monitoring requirements
Management of change
Training

Recommend securing agreement on philosophy from Senior Management


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Writing your Alarm Philosophy Document


1. Form a committee of stakeholders, involve an alarm
management expert if possible
2. Get educated learn the fundamentals of alarm management,
common mistakes, performance metrics, what defines well
performing systems, etc.
3. Study the current state of the alarm system (if existing),
compare & contrast against industry best practices (sadly not
industry norms)
4. Leverage the experts, and make use of the recommendations
& standards
5. Draft, review, edit, review, repeat as necessary
6. Once approved, review the alarm philosophy periodically for
any necessary changes

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Management Standards and Best Practices

ALARM RATIONALIZATION

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Alarm Rationalization Process


For every event suspected to possibly be an alarm:
Determine if the event is an alarm
What is the required corrective action to be performed
by the operator?
What is the immediate consequence if action is not
taken?
Events which are NOT alarms:
Nothing for the operator to do to correct the condition
Event is not an indication of a problem
No consequences if no response is taken
Same problem indicated elsewhere
(i.e. more than one alarm for one root cause)

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Rationalization
(Wow, this is a lot of work)
For every alarm, document:

The alarm type


The alarm class
The alarm priority (based on rules in the alarm philosophy)
Alarm limit or condition
Required operator action
Consequences of not carrying out operator
action in a timely manner

Then verify:
Alarm priorities align with consequences of
operator inaction
Alarm limits or conditions allow time for
operator action
Reasonable and observable operator action is identified
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Management Standards and Best Practices

DETAILED DESIGN

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Detailed Design Phase


Understand the capabilities and limitations of the process
control system(s)
Document how the results of the alarm rationalization
effort will be implemented
This step often involves more complex configuration
steps than you may have done before implementing
alarm management
To make it easier, develop standard treatments to advanced alarming
scenarios, for example:
How do you handle multiple alarms that occur as a result of a trip
condition?
How do you handle alarms on equipment not-in-use?
Create logic as standard and apply it in every applicable situation
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Some Managed Alarm Techniques


Roll-up / GroupBased Suppression

Time-limited Suppression (Shelving)

Matrix / State-based Alarming

Counter-based Suppression

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Detailed Design - Logic


Define & document, for every alarm:

Alarm limits
Alarm deadbands
Alarm debounce timer (delay timers)
Programmatic changes to alarm settings (i.e.
process state driven changes)

Above all else, avoid the common mistake of


configuring unnecessary alarms
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Detailed Design - HMI


How to effectively indicate:
Points in alarm
Alarm states, priorities, types, messages, etc.

Allow the operator to:


Acknowledge alarms
Silence audible alarms
Determine the proper response & perform it

Additional considerations:

Color conventions, iconic representations, etc.


Rules for acknowledgement, suppression, etc.
Mechanisms for sorting, filtering, etc.
Representation in the alarm banner, summary, etc. as well as area overviews, unit
displays, detail pages, faceplates, etc.
Arguably the most critical issue, as this is the part
of the system with which the operator interacts directly
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Management Standards and Best Practices

IMPLEMENTATION

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Alarm System Implementation


Alarms configured and maintained in the controller
OR
Alarms configured and maintained in the alarm server
OR
Both methods are used in combination

The optimum solution is often a combination based on user


requirements and system architecture
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

21

Rockwell Automation Options


for Alarm Implementation
Option

Description

HMI Classic Alarming

Alarms as a property of a HMI tag in the FactoryTalk View HMI Server


Advantages
Only architecture supported for
FactoryTalk View ME
Support for a high number of alarms
(40,000 per HMI Server of which
10,000 can be analog)

FactoryTalk Alarm &


Events (FT A & E)

Disadvantages
Limited visualization objects
Limited alarm logging functionality
Logs alarm in local time (as
configured in HMI server)

Alarms configured in the controller or FactoryTalk View A&E server. Devicebased alarms (ALMA, ALMD) are subscribed to by the RSLinx Enterprise Server
when the alarm option is enabled. Server-based alarms (Digital, Level, or
Deviation) are configured in Tag Alarm and Event Server in FactoryTalk View SE.
Advantages
Includes complete set of
visualization components
Native ability to log Alarm History to
SQL database
Logs alarm in UTC time

Disadvantages
No support for PanelView Plus
platform (FTView ME)
Lower number of supported
alarms (20,000 alarms) and
clients (20) per system

FactoryTalk Alarms & Events Preferred Alarming Architecture


Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Option Recommendations


Only use HMI Classic Alarms if your application doesn't support
the use of FactoryTalk Alarms and Events (FT A&E)
Topology limits (>20 clients/application)
Platform limits (PanelView Plus)
Capacity limits (>20,000 alarms per system, >2000 alarms per controller)

For mixed architectures (FactoryTalk ME and FactoryTalk SE)


Use HMI Classic Alarming for your FactoryTalk View ME application(s) and
FactoryTalk Alarm & Events Alarming for your FactoryTalk View SE
application which can both talk to the same controller.

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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PlantPAx Alarm Recommendations


PlantPAx recommends FTA&E server-based alarms (detection in
controller, notification handled by server)
Advantages of this approach for PlantPAx:
Integration of alarm configuration and display into library (AOIs, global
objects, and faceplates) for ease of engineering/deployment
Solution supported by both FTA&E and Classic alarming so can be used
regardless of topology/platform/capacity
Difficult to estimate load of FT A&E device-based alarms, especially in
redundancy
More flexibility to applying alarm management techniques in P_ALARM or
controller detection in general

PlantPAx Process Library (KB 62682) uses a dedicated AOI


(P_ALARM) for each configurable alarm. Documentation is
provided for connecting HMI Classic Alarms or FTA&E ServerBased Alarms for mixed architectures.
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Controller-based Alarm Configuration

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Server-based Alarm Configuration

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Alarm Management Standards and Best Practices

OPERATION

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Operations
(i.e. Run Time Components)

Alarm Banner

Alarm Summary

Alarm Log Viewer

Alarm Status Explorer

FTA&E includes a Full Complement of Run-Time Components


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Alarm Breadcrumbs Guide the Operator


1. Filtered alarm
banner notifies
operator of a
problem. Doubleclick to go right to
the appropriate
display.

2. Area button
indicates an alarm
in the area; Dropdown shows which
units have alarms

3. Display clearly
shows alarm and
other problems

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Breadcrumbs Guide the Operator

5. Alarm tab shows


more detail,
complete with
diagnostic
information where
available.

4. Faceplate gives
indication of
problem.

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Banner
Up to 5 most current,
highest priority alarms
New FactoryTalk View
docking feature allows it
to be stationed as a
permanent fixture on the
HMI client.
Launch Summary directly
from bottom of Banner
for more details
Docked in Client window to
always appear at top or
bottom of any graphic screen

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Summary
Acknowledge
RunPrint
View Select Filter
AckSuppress
Status
page
Acknowledge
w/comment
Command
Explorer

Provides all the details


No HMI effort required, configuration only

Number of
In Alarm / In Alarm / Normal /Faults /
Events UnAck Ack
UnAck Display List

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Status Explorer


Use to manage all
alarm subscriptions
on this server
Identify which
alarms are
suppressed or
disabled
Sort by alarm
condition and
status
Launch from the
Summary

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alarm Log Viewer Object


Alarm Server points to any
SQL data base for alarm
history
Microsoft SQL Express
installation included

Multiple Alarm Servers can


point to the same data base.
Log Viewer Object allows
display of historical alarm
data in FactoryTalk View
Or, write you own SQL query
to access the database
directly
4 different Views are preconfigured

Simple to use powerful


filtering and sorting options
with controller driven time
stamp allow easy recreation
of SOE trail (Sequence of
Events)
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

34

Alarm Management Standards and Best Practices

MONITORING & ASSESSMENT

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Alarm System KPIs

EEMUAs Big 3 KPIs

1. Average Alarm Rate


2. Maximum Alarm Rate
(High Water Mark)
3. % of Time Alarm Rate is
Outside of Limit
Source: The Engineering Equipment and Material Users' Association. (2007). EEMUA 191 - Alarm Systems - A Guide to Design,
Management and Procurement. Eastbourne: CPI Antony Rowe.

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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and Some Recommended Benchmarks


% of Time Alarm Rate is Outside of Limit

Average Alarm Rate (alarms / 10


minutes)

1%

5%

25%

50%

Overload

100

Reactive

10

Robust

Stable

Predictive
10
100
1000
Maximum Alarm Rate (alarms / 10 minutes)
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Other Useful Alarm System KPIs


Top 10 most frequently
occurring alarms

Number of alarm peaks per


time period
(alarm floods)

Number of long standing / stale


alarms

Priority distribution of alarms

Unauthorized alarm property


changes

Number of alarms per


operating position

Chattering alarms

Suppressed alarms outside of


approved methodologies

Source: The Engineering Equipment and Material Users' Association. (2007). EEMUA 191 - Alarm Systems - A Guide to Design,
Management and Procurement. Eastbourne: CPI Antony Rowe.

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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and Some Recommended Benchmarks

< 5% of Total
(over 30 days)

Top 10 most frequently


occurring alarms

<5

Number of long standing / stale


alarms
With plans to address

0
0

(10 alarms /
10 min) < 1%

Number of alarm peaks per


time period
(alarm floods)

80% Low
Priority
15%distribution
Medium of alarms
5% High

~6-12 Alarms /
hour

Unauthorized alarm property


changes

Number of alarms per


operating position

Chattering alarms

Suppressed alarms outside of


approved methodologies

Source: The Engineering Equipment and Material Users' Association. (2007). EEMUA 191 - Alarm Systems - A Guide to Design,
Management and Procurement. Eastbourne: CPI Antony Rowe.

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

39

Monitoring & Assessment Tools

Excel-based query direct to alarm


history

Alarm Grid view in controller


configuration environment

Basic Analysis Tools Native to Core PlantPAx System


Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Pre-Built Alarm Reporting Tools

FactoryTalk VantagePoint and Alarms & Events Reports are


Available Through
AID 68296
g KnowledgeBase
g
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

41

Alarm Management Standards and Best Practices

MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Audit and Management of Change


1. Verify alarm configuration settings against your design on
a periodic basis*
2. Control Alarm Setpoint and Priority Changes

Follow MOC procedures, update alarm rationalization and design


documents, identify any other alarms or functions effected

3. Return unapproved changes to their approved


configuration state
4. Monitor Alarm Shelving and Suppression

List of suppressed alarms


Logged comments associated with suppressed alarms
Accumulated time each alarm was suppressed
Number of times each alarm was suppressed

* Be sure to distinguish permanent changes with those made automatically

Protect your investment to keep and effective alarm system!


Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Management of Change
Features / Functions
Authentication
Prevent unauthorized
changes

Audit
Track authorized user
changes

Archive
Centralized, versioned,
secure configuration
storage

Disaster Recovery
Automated backup and
change detection

PlantPAx Alarm Management Overview

CONCLUSION

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

45

Why is the ISA Standard important?


Regulatory agencies have general duty clauses and interpretations
for example:
OSHA 1910.119 (d)(3)(ii) states, The employer shall document that
equipment complies with Recognized And Generally Accepted Good
Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP)
OSHA has issued a interpretation letter stating that a National Consensus
Standard (such as ANSI/ISA-18.2) is a RAGAGEP
In 2009, OSHA issued an additional $87M in fines stemming from the 2005
Texas City explosion, specifically citing failure to remediate using ASME
codes and ISA standards

ISA 18.2 states


The practices and procedures of this standard shall be applied to existing
systems in a reasonable time as determined by the owner/operator

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

46

How does the standard impact regulation?


DOT 49 CFR 195.446 (Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline) states:

written alarm management plan to provide

(e) Each operator* using a SCADA system must have a


for effective controller* response to alarms. An operator's* plan must include provisions to:
(1) Review SCADA safety-related alarm operations using a process that ensures
support safe pipeline operations;

alarms are accurate and

Identify at least once each calendar month points affecting safety that have been taken off scan in the SCADA
host, have had alarms inhibited, generated false alarms, or that have had forced or
manual values for periods of time exceeding that required for associated maintenance or operating activities;
(3) Verify the correct safety-related alarm set-point values and alarm descriptions when
(2)

associated field instruments are calibrated or changed and at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not to exceed
15 months;
(4) Review the alarm management plan required by this paragraph at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not
exceeding 15 months, to determine the effectiveness of the plan;

Monitor the content and volume of general activity

(5)
being directed to and
required of each controller* at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not exceeding 15 months, that will assure
controllers* have sufficient time to analyze and react to incoming alarms; and
(6) Address deficiencies identified through the implementation of paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section.
*In regulation terminology, operator = end user company, controller = control system operator
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

47

How does the standard impact regulation?


DOT 49 CFR 195.446 (Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline) states:

written alarm management plan to provide


Philosophy
(1) Review SCADA safety-related alarm operations using a process that ensures alarms are accurate and
Rationalization

(e) Each operator* using a SCADA system must have a


for effective controller* response to alarms. An operator's* plan must include provisions to:
support safe pipeline operations;

Identify at least once each calendar month points affecting safety that have been taken off scan in the SCADA
host, have had alarms inhibited, generated false alarms, or that have had forced or
manual values for periods of time exceeding that required for associated maintenance or operating activities;
(3) Verify the correct safety-related alarm set-point values and alarm descriptions when
associated field instruments are calibrated or changed and at least once each
calendar and
year, but
at intervals not to exceed
Monitor
Assess
15 months;
(2)

(4) Review the alarm management plan required by this paragraph at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not
exceeding 15 months, to determine the effectiveness of the plan;

Monitor the content and volume of general activity

(5)
being directed to and
required of each controller* at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not exceeding 15 months, that will assure
controllers* have sufficient time to analyze and react to incoming alarms; and

Management of Change

(6) Address deficiencies identified through the implementation of paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section.
*In regulation terminology, operator = end user company, controller = control system operator
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

48

Where to start?
A

Philosophy

Identification

Rationalization

Detailed Design
Management
of Change

Implementation

Audit
F

Operation

Monitoring &
Assessment
G

Maintenance

Source: International Society of Automation. (2009). ANSI/ISA-18.2-2009 - Management of Alarm Systems for the Process Industries.
Research Triangle Park: ISA

Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

49

Benefits of Alarm Management


Possibility to regain what studies have shown as 3
8% production losses due to abnormal situations*
Reduction in yield or unplanned downtime

Regulatory compliance
With the creation of standards, Alarm management has
become good engineering practice increasing liability of a
non-managed system

Identification of process problems


Excessive variability / tuning problems
Valve / equipment problems

Incident prevention
The potential cost of a single incident may justify investment

Improved productivity both equipment & personnel


Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

50

Questions?
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Rockwell Automation
Process Solutions User Group (PSUG)
November 14-15, 2011
Chicago, IL McCormick Place West
Copyright 2011 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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